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Tuesday, April 24, 2012

[Across this great country of OURS... THE RIGHT IS RAISING THE HUE'N CRY - Our local paper asked me to respond to an essay that was titled...]

Is
Progressivism the New Communism? R.W. Spisak Jr.

When
the schoolyard bully tries to pick a fight, first he tries name
calling. Progressives from the beginning supported the overthrow of
monarchies, they fought and died for democratic self government.
Progressives opposed slavery, and supported women's right to vote. If
you think that's a COMMUNIST PLOT, go ask your wife.

Progressive fought to end cozy crony governments and instead worked
to professionalize government. One of the first battles modern
progressives fought was to establish the direct election of U.S.
Senators. Progressives teamed up with Women Rights Advocates and
Labor Organizers and together opposed child labor and fought for
compulsory free public education for all children. Progressives at
the turn of the century were more concerned with citizen
participation and access than in a Marxian economic critique. So, no,
Progressivism, new or old, has nothing to do with either the theories
or the failed practices associated with Communism.

Progressives
favor more democracy, more participation for citizens not less. They
never concocted rules to make voting harder for citizens. Turn of the
century progressives fought to expand and empower citizens. They
began a national movement that called for "Initiative,
Referendum and Recall." All of which created more not less
public input in political decisions. The recall referendum of
Wisconsin's Governor Walker would not have been possible without the
reforms of the Progressive movement.

This desire
for citizen empowerment is the opposite of the despotic overreach of
the tyrant. Fear-mongers resort to the crayon of heated language with
their schoolyard taunts since they have no facts. Fifties era charges
of “commie” are absurd when the historic record is examined.
Today's Occupy Movement is one example of the progressive spirit; the
call to end Wall Street's speculative madness is another. Somehow,
none of these contemporary Robber Barons have seen an indictment for
their massive frauds. Progressivism, still stands against the abuses
of the powerful, and shares nothing with the ideology of the
tyrant.

Progressives spoke then and now, for the poor, and the
factory worker, not the gold-plated billionaire. “Minimum wage”,
“weekends” and “vacations” are all the product of progressive
principals. All of these were systematically opposed by
Conservatives, some of whom are still trying to privatize Social
Security. When Upton Sinclair wrote his seminal book “The Jungle”
detailing the disgusting conditions in the meat packing industry, the
result a public outcry and national food safety regulations. (No
doubt dampening the verve of the marketplace.) Sinclair and other
“Muckrakers” criticized free range Darwinian Corporatism and
Americans demanded regulations.

Who opposes regulation today and why? If your pregnant wife was given
thalidomide by a pharmaceutical company who knew the results would be
disastrous, would you prefer they be unencumbered by any
responsibilities? Maybe we should complete Reagan's airline
deregulation? Lets go totally laissez-faire on airline regulations
right? Or are you too squeamish for that. Why should pilots even be
licensed? doesn't that impose terrible costs on airlines, they only
promised you a seat, not a safe flight right. Who needs mandated
maintenance?

Often I find, that people who bemoan
the burdens laid upon corporations, seem to have forgotten under what
conditions their grandfathers worked. When you take your next pill,
would you rather the corporation that manufactured the medicine
observed stringent safety guidelines? One man's prudent quality
control is another man's brutal governmental regulation.

When
we look at the products of progressive reform, from the end of child
labor, to a regulated food and drug industry, it is difficult to see
any connection between these tremendous achievements of citizen
empowerment and the economic theories of Marx and Engels or the
genocidal practices of Stalin.